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Bushiroad has announced that it will release new Weiss Schwarz Booster Packs and Trial Decks featuring cards from Goddess of Victory: Nikke on December 13, 2024. Shift Up's mobile game will soon the ever-growing list of franchises featured in the massive crossover TCG, which range from anime and game series to Vtuber groups like Hololive Production.

The trial deck will cost 1,650 yen, while a single booster pack containing eight cards will be purchasable at 440 yen. The Nikke collection will comprise a total of 115 normal cards and 174 parallel cards. Some of the character cards will have new illustrations and/or autographs by their respective Japanese voice actresses.

In the same press release, Bushiroad confirmed that it will also release the new cards internationally. The Weiss Schwarz Nikke cards will appear in not only Japanese but also Korean, English, and Simplified Chinese.

The Korean version in particular will launch simultaneously with the original Japanese release. This is partially due to Nikke's development team at Shift Up being based in South Korea. It will also mark the first time ever Bushiroad is releasing Weiss Schwarz TCG in Korean.

The new Weiss Schwarz Trial Deck and Booster Packs featuring Goddess of Victory: Nikke will be available first in Japan and South Korea on Friday, December 13, 2024. The English and Simplified Chinese versions of the cards will also appear at a later time.

The post Goddess of Victory: Nikke Weiss Schwarz Cards Will Appear Soon appeared first on Siliconera.

Originally announced in 2019 as Project Eve, Stellar Blade has had an interesting development cycle. Initially a multi-platform release, the project eventually landed as a PlayStation 5 exclusive with a new title. As a result, it has become one of the console's most anticipated games. Thankfully, Stellar Blade was worth the wait, as it's one of the best action-RPGs released since NieR: Automata.

Before we dive in, I want to address the elephant in the room. In the lead-up to the launch of Stellar Blade, there has been a lot of discourse around EVE's design. If you are uncomfortable with the character's portrayal, there is a good chance you won't enjoy this game. It features a lot of (optional) revealing outfits and suggestive camera angles. Shift Up tells a good story in Stellar Blade with thought-provoking themes, and EVE is a great protagonist who I ended up really liking after spending 50 hours with her story. The game also offers a wide variety of fashionable outfits you can equip that lets you customize how you want EVE to look, so there are options other than sexy. That said, I just wanted to give everyone an idea of what to expect before jumping into this.

The best way I can describe Stellar Blade is that it's like if NieR: Automata and Bayonetta had a baby. If that sounds awesome to you, then you will likely love the game. Set in a post-apocalyptic future, Stellar Blade's story centers on an earth that has been invaded by monsters called Naytiba. As a last stand, EVE is sent down to defend humanity from the brink of extinction. Like entries in the NieR series, the game plays with many familiar sci-fi themes, such as when we consider androids to be "alive" and what it means to be "human." However, the game wastes no time throwing you into the action the second EVE lands on earth, as you are slashing down enemies with swagger the second the story begins.

One of the best things about Stellar Blade is its fast-paced combat, which strikes a perfect balance between risk and reward. At its core, gameplay consists of a mix of close-quarters action with EVE's blade and ranged attacks with her drone gun. As you land combos, you build up energy, which allows you to unleash devastating Beta attacks. However, you can also fill up your Beta meter each time you successfully pull off a Perfect Parry or Perfect Dodge. These are timed defensive moves that counter an enemy's attack back at them, which leaves them temporarily stunned. As a result, you will need to know when to be defensive or go on the offensive, as it can literally turn the tides of battle.

However, where combat really comes together in Stellar Blade is when the Blink and Repulse systems come into play. During combat exchanges, enemies will eventually launch into powerful attacks that can't be blocked. If you press the right button prompt, EVE will Blink through the enemy, allowing you to unleash a barrage of attacks at their back. Conversely, if you Repulse, you will kick the enemy in the face and send EVE flying backward away from danger. This also gives you a small time window to whip your drone gun out and attack their weak spot (which is highlighted with a glowing yellow aura).

All of this blends together in a seamless flow of attacks, which at times feels more like a "dance" than a fight. Think of the epic sequences in a John Wick movie, and you will get an idea of how it looks. Stellar Blade succeeds in making combat stylish while also making sure gameplay is deep and challenging. But I won't lie; it does feel badass to see EVE kickflip off an enemy, then drive her sword down their throat. For all the chaotic energy that combat brings in Stellar Blade though, it's also really smooth and gives you a lot of room to chain attacks together in unique ways once you get the hang of it.

Stellar Blade is also a really difficult game. You can't just hack and slash enemies while standing still, or you will get destroyed. Naytiba are aggressive! Like a Darks Souls game, you will get punished if you don't move around. I even briefly tested out the game's easier "story mode" difficulty, and you can get torn to shreds in seconds if you fall out of step in combat. Stellar Blade is so challenging that I almost thought I wasn't going to be able to beat it after dying for the 30th time to the story's final boss. But like a puzzle, I was eventually able to overcome the final showdown after swapping out my Gear. Stellar Blade has an interesting character loadout feature that lets you install gear such as chips and exospine parts into EVE's Nano Suit, which in turn alters her stats or performance.

For example, you might equip a gear chip that adds 300 points to your shield or a chip that makes it easier to pull off a Perfect Dodge or Perfect Parry. But to give you an example of how this feature can be used strategically, let's talk about my one boss fight loadout. (There will be no story spoilers, I promise). Initially, I had a gear chip equipped on EVE that sped up my Beta energy's charge time. However, I had a second chip in my inventory that refilled my Beta Energy based on the total amount of damage I received after being hit. Since one boss boss was dishing out an eye-popping amount of damage with each attack, this essentially allowed me to keep my Beta bar filled at all times. This one little change to my loadout made a massive difference in a battle that initially seemed impossible. So, if you are looking for fast-paced combat with strategic depth, Stellar Blade has that in spades.

Speaking of combat, Stellar Blade handles EVE's level progression with its Skill system. There are a total of five skill trees, which you can max out if you complete side quests. The Blink and Repulse moves I mentioned earlier are a part of this skill tree, so leveling up EVE has a major impact on gameplay and makes progression feel worth it. You even get access to new Beta Powers, as well as basic combat moves such as Rush. The skill allows EVE to instantly teleport across the level and slam into enemies with her sword. If you aren't happy with how you've invested your Skill Points, the game has an item that lets you reset each skill tree branch.

Combat isn't the only thing that is stylish in Stellar Blade, as the game features many outfits for players to collect and unlock throughout the campaign. While some might not be a fan of all the designs, there are some really cool Nano Suits for EVE to track down. Outfits can be as silly as a stuffed animal costume to a fashionable jeans and a leather jacket combo. There is even an outfit that pays homage to Bruce Lee's iconic yellow jumpsuit (or the one the Bride in Kill Bill wore, for those younger readers). At least for me, turning EVE into a fashionista gave me an incentive to complete side quests and explore every inch of the map. The game even has earrings and glasses you can equip! I just wish that Shift Up had also put this effort into your weapons, as you are stuck with the same blade and gun for the entirety of the game.

As far as length goes, Stellar Blade can be beaten in 25 to 30 hours if you rush through the game and only tackle main story missions. This could vary depending on which difficulty you are playing on and, of course, the player's skill level. I completed most of the game's side quests, and my final playthrough clocked in at around 50 hours. But I'm also not a pro at action-RPGs by any means, and I would even consider myself more on the "novice" side in of my skill level. So take that into consideration when considering my estimates. The main campaign largely takes place across six regions (plus a few extra areas). Two of these locations are open-world maps. From a post-apocalyptic city overgrown with wildlife to a sprawling desert with sand dunes stretching across the horizon, every section of the game is varied in its design.

With regards to traversal, each level map is broken up by fast travel points and campsites that can be used to refill your health and potions. Shift Up doesn't make it easy for us, as enemies will also reset whenever you rest. Fast travel points are accessed with phone booths, and campsites are unlocked with vending machines. One of the things I absolutely love about Stellar Blade is all the little details Shift Up put into the game, such as EVE flipping a coin in the air before inserting it into a vending machine to unlock a camp. Even saving in the game is relegated to EVE kicking her feet back and sitting down on a picnic chair, and it just oozes charm.

Now, let's get to the game's plot. While not groundbreaking by any means, the story of Stellar Blade touches on some interesting themes about humanity and what people are willing to do to survive in the face of an existential threat. If I had any complaint about the tale Shift Up is telling, it's that some of those themes aren't explored enough in side quests and early chapters. Stellar Blade characters aren't as fleshed out as ones in similar games such as NieR: Automata.

If you are reading this and are like this guy keeps mentioning NieR: Automata in a Stellar Blade critique too often, hear me out. It's hard not to compare the two games. There are so many similarities that Stellar Blade, at times, almost feels like a direct homage to the Square Enix action-RPG. Like 2B, EVE is part of a space colony organization with a mission to save humanity. Both protagonists are sent down to a ravaged earth to fight off invading creatures. EVE has a floating turret companion that acts as a gun for ranged combat, while her sword is her main means to attack. Both games start in a similar overgrown post-apocalyptic city, and the next big level after it is an open-world desert section. Both touch on themes about androids having feelings and memories and whether they should be considered human. Sound familiar? Heck, even the music in Stellar Blade is so similar to NieR: Automata that I had to take a double-take.

This isn't necessarily a bad thing, as NieR: Automata is one of my favorite games of all time, but the similarities between it and Stellar Blade are so great that it's hard not to compare the two. For me, the world that Yoko Taro created is so weird and interesting that it can sometimes make Stellar Blade feel a bit more vanilla in comparison. This is especially true when it comes to the side quests. Some of them involve interesting stories that give us a brief insight into a side character. However, the vast majority of them can be boiled down to simple fetch quests. Don't get me wrong! I still had a blast completing them because combat is so much fun and I wanted the EXP to unlock more Skills. But in this regard, I just feel like NieR and NieR: Automata had much more thought-provoking side quests and more fleshed-out world-building than Stellar Blade.

Another thing I should mention is Stellar Blade has a few mandatory dungeon sections in the main story campaign. For some reason, the game takes away EVE's blade, and you are forced to use your gun for the entirety of these hour-long sections. In place of the fast-action combat are platforming challenges, which can sometimes become a bit frustrating considering the most enjoyable thing is the breakneck gameplay. While overall traversal is fun and snappy, trying to land on a tiny platform that moves in the sky can be difficult when the game adds forward momentum to your landing.

I can't count how many times EVE fell to her death in my game after I successfully landed on a platform, only to slide off while in motion. This is especially a problem when double jumping, as the game will sometimes pull her to the side for some reason, completely botching your attempt to reach a long-ranged section with a dash. But I will also say that these sections make up a very small portion of the game's story, so it's not enough to really hurt the overall experience. Interestingly, I never had a problem with platforming when in the open-world levels. So, it might be an issue with the dungeons being more closed-off.

While I wish some of the elements mentioned above were fleshed out more, Stellar Blade really makes up for this with the second half of its campaign. The story really takes off in the final chapters and allows its thought-provoking themes to develop. In particular, it has one of the most epic endings I've experienced in an RPG in some time. Specifically, this is a multi-ending story, which works really well considering the game's narrative. I don't want to get into any spoilers, but let's just say the ending is one of the most "anime" things I've seen and left me desperately wanting a sequel.

Finally, let's talk about performance. Stellar Blade is an absolutely gorgeous game with beautiful graphics. I constantly wanted to pause my game to take screenshots, as every frame could be a wallpaper. Whether it is glowing neon lights from futuristic city ments or the glittering sequins on EVE's unique outfits, the game's art style is stunning. Thankfully, Stellar Blade's performance also delivers as it has a consistent frame rate that never drops, despite how chaotic combat gets. The game also features a Graphics, Framerate, and Balanced mode. Whichever mode you pick, the graphics are beautiful. However, Shift Up has definitely made sure to give players the option to hit 60 FPS without any compromise.

When I look back at my time with Stellar Blade, I see a new franchise that is full of promise. While it might not have the best side quests or side characters, it's grounded by excellent gameplay that is challenging and fun. EVE and Lily are interesting main characters that I really connected with, and the game's story sticks its landing in the final act. If Shift Up can build on everything they did well with Stellar Blade and make a sequel that fleshes out its lore and world even more, we could have something really special here. Still, Stellar Blade is a great first step that action RPG fans won't want to miss.

Stellar Blade is a thrilling action RPG with stylish combat and nail-biting encounters that offer players a real challenge. While the game tackles familiar sci-fi themes, it's anchored by lovable protagonist EVE and her sidekick Lily. While it doesn't sur NieR: Automata and Bayonetta, fans of those beloved games should check out Stellar Blade as it's a good companion title that will scratch the same itch.

Stellar Blade will be available on April 26, 2024 on the PlayStation 5.

The post Review: Stellar Blade Channels NieR: Automata’s Stylish Combat appeared first on Siliconera.

In a new PlayStation Bterview, Stellar Blade Director Kim Hyung Tae revealed Battle Angel Alita is another inspiration for the game. Specifically, he cited the 2019 movie starring Rosa Salazar as a major influence.

Here’s exactly what Kim mentioned when discussing Stellar Blade and its reference to Battle Angel Alita in the PlayStation Bterview:

There are quite a few. However, one of the most inspirational, in of theme and design, is the sci-fi manga Gunnm by Yukito Kishiro sensei. It was released as an action film in 2019 under the title Alita: Battle Angel. I’d say I took a lot of inspiration from that movie.

As a reminder, Battle Angel Alita began running in Japan in 1990. It’s since appeared worldwide, and it also inspired anime adaptations and the 2019 live-action movie Alita: Battle Angel. The series stars Alita, a cyborg with amnesia surviving in a cyberpunk world who ends up using her martial arts skills and strength to hunt down criminals. Throughout the course of the story, she ends up being tied to the community and a savior.

Head of launch, Shift Up and Director Kim Hyung Tae have often discussed various Stellar Blade inspirations and shared development details. We already know NieR Automatainfluenced the action game, for example. Also, the length of Eve’s hair also affected its development time.

Stellar Blade will come to the PlayStation 5 on April 26, 2024. There's no word yet on if it will eventually appear on other platforms sometime after that.

The post Battle Angel Alita Among Stellar Blade Inspirations appeared first on Siliconera.

Stellar Blade is a game that’s constantly shifted my expectations the more I’ve learned about it. Now that I’ve gotten my hands on its demo, I noticed influences I did not expect.

When the game was originally doing the rounds as Project Eve, its trailers suggested a fast-paced, Bayonetta-style, sci-fi romp. Then its presence earlier in 2024 at Sony’s State of Play presentation showed an open world that evoked NieR: Automata. This influence was definitely present in the demo too, with an inevitably traumatic premise about ass-kicking women from space attempting to save an embattled humanity, plus a soundtrack that sounds like rave remixes of Keiichi Okabe’s work. However, what the demo also revealed was how much the game is a stealth Soulslike.

It’s not quite a full Soulslike though. Death feels much less punishing, and the combat system is a lot flashier than the genre usually provides. It feels like Shift Up wanted to dip their toes into the genre without fully committing to it. It’s a Souls-lite then. And as someone who was looking forward to Stellar Blade but also has previously never been able to get into that genre, I think they got the balance exactly where I like it.

Combat is tricky, less button-mashy than I was initially expecting. Enemies can be punishing if you let them, with occasional surprise attack chains and the ability to knock off significant damage. Even the most basic of enemy can stomp you if you’re not prepared. Timings for dodging and blocking are tight, which took a while to get used to. This is a game that encourages mastery of its systems or else you will struggle.

However, combat at this stage in the game felt limited. You have your standard attack and a heavy attack, and you can string combos out of them. But it’s often difficult to get long combos out due to the brutality of the enemies, and there’s little else adding to the combat. The demo featured two Beta Energy moves that needed time to recharge after use. While they were often useful, the charge discouraged a lot of their use plus they were often just a singular big attack.

That said, there were signs that these elements could grow into something significant in the final game. The skill upgrades hinted at improvements to these skills, as well as faster recharge times, which hopefully will help them all live up to their potential in later parts of the game.

Evidence of how much the moves on offer are likely to improve in the final game came with a skill named Blink. I unlocked this shortly before the demo’s final boss encounter, and it was a game changer. Up until this point, a few enemies had hit me hard with a massive desperate attack. While these attacks were possible to dodge, the timing window was tricky to nail. Blink is a move designed to counter these specific attacks, allowing Eve to teleport herself behind the enemy at the right time, dodging the attack and opening them up to a huge combo. Getting to throw it out constantly in the boss fight was incredibly satisfying, and hopefully more moves like this will be added to Eve’s arsenal as the game progresses.

Stellar Blade isn’t just about combat though. This is a semi open world game, with a ruined planet to explore. The environments are gorgeous and interesting to explore. The demo was mostly centered on a single city street full of abandoned pharmacies and bus stations, but even within this limited space, it was clear a lot of care was put into making these areas worth exploring. The promises of more expansive environments in the game's trailers has me excited if they're as well-crafted as this small space was.

The climbing aspects of the game were less impressive, however. There were plenty of areas where you could climb around on walls using customary marked handholds, although some of these were hard to spot. In other cases, places that looked climbable were not. Even the act of traversal was lacking, as Eve’s slow speed felt at odds with the swinging animation. I’m a fan of games with fluid movement mechanics, so this felt unpleasantly sluggish to me.

That said, Stellar Blade clearly has a lot to offer. The combat has a solid foundation and there’s enough mechanical complexity hinted at that should evolve it into something truly great over the course of the game. Although whether its story will live up to the heights it’s clearly set with its obvious Nier Automata influence remains to be seen.

Stellar Blade will release for PS5 on April 26, 2024.

The post Preview: Stellar Blade Is a Stealth Soulslike with Strong Potential appeared first on Siliconera.

The Stellar Blade demo now has an official release date. It will be appearing on the PlayStation Store from March 29, 2024.

The release date for the Stellar Blade demo was confirmed by Shift Up director Hyung Tae Kim in a post on the PlayStation Blog. The demo will feature a portion of the early game, featuring a tutorial and a single stage leading up to the first boss fight. This will allow players to get to grips with the game’s combat system ahead of its release. The blog post also promises a “surprise” for any players who complete the demo.

The demo’s languages have also been confirmed. As well as the game’s native Korean, voiceover will be available in English, Brazilian Portuguese and most major European languages. Text can be displayed in an additional 13 languages including Arabic, Japanese, and Simplified and Traditional Chinese. Save data from the demo will carry over to the full game, allowing players to continue from their last checkpoint.

A Stellar Blade demo had previously appeared without announcement on the PlayStation Store. It was swiftly removed and even those who’d ed the demo had been locked out from playing it. The new release for the demo confirms this was released earlier than intended.

Stellar Blade will release for PS5 on April 26, 2024. The demo will be available from March 29, 2024.

The post Stellar Blade Demo Official Release Date Confirmed appeared first on Siliconera.

March 25, 2024, is the 5th anniversary day of the Spy x Family manga, and Shueisha noted the occasion by posting a tweet thread on the Japanese official X for its Shonen Jump + magazine. It reveals the company's plans to celebrate the anniversary.

The thread starts with an illustration and message from Tatsuya Endo. The manga author still does not know how long the series will continue, but he hopes everyone will continue to closely follow the Forger family's journey.

Shueisha also published a special movie to mark the Spy x Family manga's 5th anniversary on the official Shonen Jump channel on YouTube:

In addition, Shueisha will release new Spy x Family merchandise designed by Tatsuya Endo. The thread also revealed that the author will hold autograph sessions for the first time in his career. The events will not only take place in the Japanese cities of Tokyo, Osaka, and Fukuoka, as Endo will also head to South Korea's capital city Seoul. Shueisha will publish a more detailed schedule in the near future.

Spy x Family originated as a manga series that launched in Shonen Jump + on March 25, 2019. The manga is still ongoing, and Tatsuya Endo published the 96th chapter on March 18, 2024. The title's popularity skyrocketed after Wit Studio and CloverWorks produced its anime adaptation that started airing in 2022.

Crunchyroll will launch the Spy x Family Code: White movie in North American theaters on April 19, 2024. Meanwhile, Bandai Namco will release the Spy x Anya: Operation Memories video game for the Switch, PS4, and PS5 internationally in late June 2024, with a PC version following later on.

The post Spy x Family Manga 5th Anniversary Celebrated With New Video appeared first on Siliconera.

The release date for Stellar Blade was announced in a new trailer at the January 2024 PlayStation State of Play showcase. The game will be released on April 26, 2024.

The trailer showed off a bunch of new details of Stellar Blade. You play as Eve, a member of the airborne squad left on a post-apocalyptic Earth to fight off alien invaders called NA:tives. Through the story she'll be accompanied by two companions named Adam and Lily.

The trailer also showed some more of the Stellar Blade combat mechanics. In addition to the hack and slash gameplay previously seen with swords, some third-person shooter gameplay was also shown off. We also got to see more of the game's world, which appears to have an open world setting featuring towns full of NPCs. There are also camps out in the wasteland where Eve can replenish her health, purchase supplies and get upgrades.

You can see the full Stellar Blade release date trailer here.

Stellar Blade had previously appeared in a State of Play showcase in September 2022, where Shift Up showed off a gameplay trailer. It's a new game from Korean developer Shift Up, and features work by Kim Hyung-Tae. His previous work includes Magna Carta and Destiny Child. Sony will be publishing the game as a first party PS5 title.

Stellar Blade is set to release for PS5 on April 26, 2024.

The post April 2024 Stellar Blade PS5 Release Date Set appeared first on Siliconera.

Korean game publisher Nexon is being fined 11.6 billion won, or approximately $8.85 million, for manipulating the drop rates of randomized items and loot boxes in games without informing players. This practice has apparently been affecting games like MapleStory and Bubble Fighter since 2010. [Thanks, @Citrussalt!]

According to the Korean Fair Trade Commission, Nexon had been changing the item drop rates for loot boxes and other gacha mechanics in its games, including reducing some items to a 0% chance of appearing, without disclosing these changes to players. Nexon also apparantly released a statement claiming no changes had been made, aiming to "lure customers by giving them false information". 28% of MapleStory's 560 billion won in sales came from in-game purchases in 2020.

Nexon itself has accepted the decision and apologised to it's customers, but has said it may seek to challenge the decision claiming the company was not required to reveal probability information at the time.

You can find the Korean Fair Trade Commission's official statement below, or read an English summary via the Korea Times here.

Nexon may be best known in the West for publishing games like Blue Archive, Dave the Diver and MapleStory, which had a string of anniversary events announced back in September, 2023. Nexon also publishes the mobile game Dynasty Warriors M, which launched worldwide late last year.

Nexon is being fined 11.6 billion won by the Korean Fair Trade Commission for deceptive business practices and violation of the Electronic Commerce Consumer Protection Act.

The post Nexon Fined Over $8 Million for Manipulating Item Drop Rates in Games appeared first on Siliconera.

It isn’t uncommon to see a manga or manhwa where the villainess is the lead, but Yen Press’ The Villainess Turns the Hourglass involves a rather methodical tale where the heroine Aria is working to become an even stronger villainess and get revenge. However, since it’s starting in her youth after a rewind that gives her a second chance, it means the story takes its time.

Things begin in the “present.” Aria is about to be sentenced to death by her “brother” Cain for attempting to poison her “sister” Mielle. Mielle seems to be this benevolent innocent who wants to forgive her sibling. However, when she comes up and it’s just the two of them, she reveals she orchestrated and framed everything and killed Aria’s mother, all because of Aria and her mother being usurpers unfit to hold the Roscent name. When Aria dies, though, she’s instead taken back to her youth and finds a shattered hourglass in her bed. With her second chance, she vows revenge on Mielle and everyone who betrayed her, and lives her life differently to destroy them.

We get some small victories for Aria to help set the stage while bigger plans are laid throughout the volume. She bests Mielle when it comes to a certain sort of poetry. She manages to come up with a better possible business investment. She becomes better at embroidery, impressing her father and making friends. She makes herself look considerate with a gift and by showing affection. But much of the volume uses these as a means to give a brief satisfaction as the first pieces of larger plots are laid. We clearly see Aria’s thought things through, and it means a momentary win while we get to watch others gradually develop in the first volume.

Tensions and plots continues to build up throughout the volume, and because we don’t see the resolution for many of them yet, it makes it all more intriguing. One of the best examples of this Aria’s plot to steal Mielle’s potential fiance Oscar. We see her sow seeds by first making a handkerchief with his crest. Then, we see her look demure as she innocently appears at a meal with him, Cain, and Mielle. From there, we watch as she makes sure not to read a letter from him with a return gift for the handkerchief publicly, so people don’t see it was less than it was, and her plotting to begin a continued conversation with him.

But then, we also have another example in the form of encounters with a hooded man. Aria let slip that there’s time travel afoot and something awry around him when she was at a shop having her hourglass repaired. When she did, she caught his eye and it almost seemed like fate outside the family changed from the timeline she knew. These chance encounters with him too are slowly building up to something more, lurking in the background of the first volume of The Villainess Turns the Hourglass manhwa. 

The Villainess Turns the Hourglass feels like a manhwa that really could take time to grow into its own. It’s interesting at the start, to be sure. Especially since the villain Aria is only just starting to grow into a “true” mastermind and we’re just starting to see her develop a mask and begin plans. The fact that there are still threads being woven means that it might not be until the third or that things really start panning out and major drama could occur.

Volume 1 of The Villainess Turns the Hourglass is available now, and Yen Press’ Ize Press label will release volume 2 of the manhwa on February 20, 2024.  

The post The Villainess Turns the Hourglass Is a Slow Burn Manhwa appeared first on Siliconera.

KyungRan Park’s Imitation, one of Yen Press’ latest manhwa, may seem like it’s one of traditional types of romance stories. It is definitely that! There’s a love triangle set up from the very start and everything. However, that’s not what most drew me in about this new story. Rather, it’s the experience of a talented young woman named Maha Lee who is starting to become famous because of who she looks like.

Imitation begins with a hint that Maha is eventually going to be successful, before immediately flashing back to a point when her career was closer to its beginnings. She and her Tea Party idol group mates HyunJi and Ria are taking part in the Teen Idol Sports Game show despite being a part of a small agency. It’s then that Park immediately introduces one of the major plot points of the series. Maha is a dead ringer for a more famous performer named Lima La. While she has the of her two friends and Yujin, one of the of the growing-in-popularity boy band Sparkling, Lima and Ryoc Kwon, from the group Shax, both are immediatel dismissive of Maha. So much so that Lima confronts her in these first few pages, criticizing her.

What’s interesting is, over the course of the manga, watching how Maha handles it. She’s aware of what’s going on. She knows it can be a selling point that can help Tea Party, so she leverages it. So much so that she does wear her hair like Lima’s. When another controversy puts her in the path of Shax and results in her pushing one of its , it draws the ire of his groupmate Ryoc. So much so that we end up seeing firsthand how Ryoc feels about people like her, and how that influences his behavior toward Maha.
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This leads to one of the most fascinating parts of volume 1 of the Imitation manhwa. Lima doesn’t act. This means when people want someone who looks like her, they’ll call Maha. It happens with a show where she’ll be a bit part, but Ryoc will be a major role interacting with her. He pushes her a bit, to the point where he realizes an important part about her as a person and her genuine talent. It also means the people who hired her just because she’s a lookalike get a better idea of what she’s capable of as well. However, the event ends up tapping into insecurities Maha has about herself, while also affecting her view and relationship with Ryoc. It’s a major turning point in so many ways, and the way it’s handled makes the rest of the story in this volume more engrossing.

What also helps it all is that Imitation focuses on times when Maha is at "work" or preparing to work. So it means we really aren't seeing her downtime as much. We watch as she goes through an audition. We see her socializing with HyunJi and Ria while discussing things with their manager. There are moments at Teen Idol Sports Game with other people from different groups in the industry. But all the while, we see how the personal relationships bleed through. Especially as she interacts further with Ryoc and Yujin.

I suppose I was just really enjoying seeing what Maha's life is like. We have seen stories about up and coming celebrities before. Especially when it shows being a star isn't exactly a charmed life. But seeing what it is like for someone who is initially seen as an option perhaps because she looks like someone else, then watching as she's recognized for who she is and maybe finds love ends up making for a good read in this first volume.

Imitation volume 1 is available now, and Yen Press will release the second installment of the manhwa on January 23, 2024.

The post Imitation Looks at Another Side of Fame appeared first on Siliconera.

Sony announced the line-up of monthly PlayStation Plus games for September 2023. The latest selection includes the popular MMO Black Desert (PS4) and the recent Saints Row reboot (PS4, PS5). Completing the trio is Generation Zero (PS4). All the new games can be claimed from September 5, 2023.

Black Desert: Traveler's Edition is the console version of the hugely popular Korean MMORPG. It puts the player in a high fantasy universe built around a conflict over the titular desert, a land that houses valuable black stones. It will be getting a spin-off game soon, with the latest Crimson Desert trailer recently making an appearance at gamescom. Black Desert has been around since 2014 on PC, although the PS4 version launched in 2019. It’s normally priced at $29.99.

Saints Row is the latest in the open world crime series, this time rebooting the whole franchise. You play as a character who builds a new gang from the ground up, with the goal of taking over the city of Santo Ileso. It originally released in 2022 and is normally available for $59.99.

Generation Zero is a first-person shooter set in a robot-infested Sweden in an alternate history 1989. It released in 2019 and is normally $29.99.

The August 2023 games are still available until September 4, 2023. They include Dreams (PS4), Death’s Door (PS4, PS5) and PGA Tour 2K23 (PS4, PS5).

The next round of PlayStation Plus game will be available from September 5, 2023.

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A new gameplay trailer for Crimson Desert appeared at Gamescom 2023 Opening Night Live. It showed off a wide range of gameplay mechanics that suggest a massive game is on the way.

The new Crimson Desert gameplay trailer showed off combat against both human and monstrous foes, including a giant crab. There also appear to be large enemies that must be climbed to defeat, similar to Shadow of the Colossus. While much of the game appears grounded in reality, the trailer did show off a few magical portals to an alternate dimension of sorts. This also seems to include a set of sky islands that can be jumped off, not too dissimilar to The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom. It wasn't all action though, as fishing, dog-petting and sheep rescuing all featured too.

You can see the full trailer here.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZdmoGYg8tB0

It's been a while since we last got an update on Crimson Desert. A gameplay trailer for the game was previously featured at The Game Awards in 2020, but not much has been heard since.

Crimson Desert is an open-world action RPG from the developers of MMO Black Desert Online. The story will focus on a mercenary named Macduff as he battles mythical beasts in the land of Pywel. It was originally intended to be a prequel to Black Desert's story, but during development it moved in a different direction. It's not clear if the two games are in the same universe.

Crimson Desert is in development for PC and console.

The post New Crimson Desert Gameplay Trailer Revealed at Gamescom appeared first on Siliconera.

To commemorate the 3rd anniversary of Project Sekai, available worldwide as Hatsune Miku: Colorful Stage, Sega and Colorful Palette are holding a Project Sekai 3rd Anniversary Thanks Festival. For fans who cannot attend the in-person event, Live Viewing Japan is offering an alternative means for fans to watch all four performances from the Project Sekai 3rd Anniversary Thanks Festival. Tickets to a Project Sekai 3rd Anniversary Thanks Festival Live Viewing will be available at the price of 3,500 yen ($25) across theaters in Japan, Taiwan, Hong Kong, and Korea. The event will be at the Tokyo Dome City Hall in Tokyo between September 16-17, 2023, with theater showings happening at that time in all countries.

During the festival, there will be a live reading of an exclusive scenario, a talk show delving into the history of Project Sekai, and a mini live performance from the cast. The festival will be split into two days. There will be different people appearing on Saturday and Sunday.

Here are the September 16, 2023 performers:

• Airi Momoi (voiced by Ai Furihata)
• An Shiraishi (voiced by Tomomi Jiena Sumi)
• Akito Shinonome (voiced by Fumiya Imai)
• Ena Shinonome (voiced by Minori Suzuki Minori)
• Kohane Azusawa (voiced by Akina)
• Mafuyu Asahina (voiced by Rui Tanabe)
• Minori Hanasato (voiced by Yui Ogura)
• Mizuki Akiyama (voiced by Hinata Satou Hinata)
• Shizuku Hinomori (voiced by Rina Honnizumi)
• Tsukasa Tenma (voiced by Daisuke Hirose)

These are the September 17, 2023 performers:

• Akito Shinonome (voiced by Fumiya Imai)
• An Shiraishi (voiced by Tomomi Jiena Sumi)
• Ena Shinonome (voiced by Minori Suzuki Minori)
• Emu Otori (voiced by Hina Kino)
• Kohane Azusawa (voiced by Akina)
• Mafuyu Asahina (voiced by Rui Tanabe)
• Mizuki Akiyama (voiced by Hinata Satou Hinata)
• Rui Kamishiro (voiced by Shunichi Toki)
• Shizuku Hinomori (voiced by Rina Honnizumi)
• Tsukasa Tenma (voiced by Daisuke Hirose)

Movie-goers will also receive a visitor gift at their live viewing in the theater. Furthermore, Project Sekai 3rd Anniversary Thanks Festival goods will be sold at the theaters in Japan only.

Here’s a list of the available merchandise and their prices:

• Penlight: 3,300 yen ($23)
• T-shirt: 3,700 yen ($26)
• Parka: 6,000 yen ($42)
• Muffler Towel: 2,400 yen ($17)
• B2 Tapestry: 3,000 yen ($21)
• A4 Clear File (six variants): 400 yen each ($3)
• Icing Cookie (six variants): 900 yen each ($6)
• Flat Pouch Set: 2,400 yen ($17)
• Luggage Tag (six variants): 1,300 yen each ($9)
• Neck Strap (six variants): 1,000 yen each ($7)

The Project Sekai 3rd Anniversary Thanks Festival live viewing will be held in Japan, and be able to be viewed in theaters in Japan, Taiwan, Hong Kong, and Korea, between September 16-17, 2023. Hatsune Miku: Colorful Stage, aka Project Sekai, is available worldwide on mobile devices.

The post Project Sekai 3rd Anniversary Thanks Festival Live Announced appeared first on Siliconera.

The Slayer arrived in Lost Ark. A variation of an already available class, it manages to distinguish itself through the sheer amounts of damage it is capable of putting out, but it is also a more technical version of the Berserker. The Slayer is the very definition of a class that is easy to pick up, but hard to master given that players will need to make the most of positionals to truly reach the class' damage potential.

In Lost Ark, I generally stick to roles. Since launch I’ve played as the Paladin, which is something of a hybrid class mostly used for shielding and damage amplification for harder content. I also dabbled in Sharpshooter, but mostly to little effect. The build I ran wasn’t exactly ideal for the content that was released at the time, and I had all but given up on playing a pure DPS class. However with Slayer, I was interested enough to jump into the saddle.

The Slayer’s ultimate skill allows for her to empower her attacks in Burst Mode. This greatly increases her DPS while active, and you want to time your skills around this particular window. Maximizing damage in Lost Ark is essential to basically clearing any tier of content, and any loss of DPS can be keenly felt in Guardian Raids and Abyss Dungeons. Slayer relies on players to make the most of this window, which is what makes this specific class hard to master. Despite her general agility, you will always want to be behind an enemy while using your Burst Mode in order to deal enormous amounts of damage.

[caption id="attachment_968710" align="aligncenter" width="1200"] Image via Amazon Games[/caption]

This specific class feels as though it is easy to pick up, but hard to master, since you will be relying on burst windows to be an effective member of your team. While playing new content as a Slayer is entirely possible, it is best to go into content with previous knowledge to best utilize what tools you have at your disposal to truly make a difference in the thick of combat.

However, visually, the Slayer is a gorgeous class. Having come off of the back of playing Diablo IV, Lost Ark features some of the best animation for an ARPG and the Slayer is no exception to this. Each hit feels particularly impactful, especially as the earth fractures and breaks between her greatsword slamming into swaths of enemies. While it would be nice to see the character model have a bit more musculature, or at least some general body variation since she is lugging around a greatsword as big as she is, the animations are great as always and makes combat exciting.

The Slayer adds a nice bit of variety in of melee DPS, even if she follows the same template as the Berserker, she is able to stand on her own. As a returning player, Slayer is extremely fun, albeit the learning curve is a bit high. But I’ll chalk that up to my experience as a player. Those more in-tune with Lost Ark’s burst damage windows and other DPS classes will more than likely feel at home, and even pleased with the high skill ceiling cap for the Slayer.

Lost Ark is available on PC.

The post Lost Ark’s Slayer Class Is a Welcome Addition appeared first on Siliconera.

Mistaken identity is a common theme in romance manga and manwha, and A Business Proposal is Yen Press’ latest series to dabble in the concept. However, it almost feels like an overload of “who’s who” early on. While it is a lot, it is still a fun read and seems like there’s a potential for things to calm down now that the concept’s completely settled.

Hari Shin isn’t in the best place as A Business Proposal’s first volume begins, as the manhwa’s heroine dealing with two heavy hits. Someone she’s been in love with for a long time revealed he has a girlfriend, and decided the best way to let her know was to invite her to lunch to — surprise — meet her. Her parents’ restaurant was hit hard by an avian flu incident, so she’s helping to them. However, her friend Yeongsun Jin offers a solution to help with one of those problems. Her family wants her to get married and arranged a blind-date and meeting with Taemu Kang, a similarly rich man whose grandfather who wants him to get married. Yeongsun will pay Hari to go in her place and make a terrible impression to screw things up enough that this won’t be an issue.

Naturally, it doesn’t go that way.

Hari shows up in makeup, a wig, and out-of-character clothing. She behaves poorly and insists she’s the most outlandish kind of woman and into the sorts of activities and relationships a corporate, rich, and stereotypically elitist person wouldn’t be into. The thing is Taemu, in an effort to get things over with, decided he’d just marry the her before they met to be done with the waste of time.

What follows ends up being a comedy of errors in many ways. Hari will behave even more poorly and panic. Taemu will be amused by the situation and her antics and continue to press the idea of them getting married. Yeongsun will similarly panic and get amusingly frustrated, because now her family thinks that a marriage is a possibility.

There are times when it’s almost overkill as a result. This is because there isn’t just one case of mistaken identity between Hari and Taemu. Over the course of this first volume, there are two additional incidents involving major characters. Some of the situations I did actually appreciate. For example, Yeongsun and Taemu’s assistant Sunghoon Cha find themselves in this sort of situation. The chemistry between the two of them is genuinely delightful, and offers a more peaceful contrast to the drama surrounding Hari and Taemu. But the fact that all three of these do happen in the first 14 chapters of the A Business Proposal manhwa can feel like a lot. Especially if you read it all in one sitting.

All this said, I’m quite interested to see where things go in the second volume of the A Business Proposal manhwa. It feels like Haehwa and Narak spent the bulk of the first first chapters getting over all of the expected mistaken identity parts of the story, so now the second part can focus on the budding relationship between Hari and Taemu. It also leaves things off in such a way that Yeongsuh and Sunghoon’s storyline could become just as compelling. It almost feels like it had to get typical elements from this kind of theme so it could start really opening up. Especially since there are still secrets to deal with and misconceptions to unravel.

A Business Proposal volume 1 is available via Yen Press, and volume 2 of the manhwa will be out on August 22, 2023.

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